Structural and functional insights into a novel pre-clinical-stage antibody targeting IL-17A for treatment of autoimmune diseases

The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is a key driver of multiple inflammatory and immune disorders. Therapeutic antibodies targeting IL-17A have been proven effective in treating patients with these diseases; however, large variations in clinical outcomes have been observed with different antibodies. In this study, we developed HB0017, a novel monoclonal antibody that targets human IL-17A. HB0017 specifically and strongly bound to human, cynomolgus monkey, and mouse IL-17A at the physiological interface with the IL-17A receptor. In human and monkey cells, HB0017 potently antagonized the functions of IL-17A through competitive binding. HB0017 functioned equivalently to that of clinically approved antibodies in terms of therapeutic efficacy for inflammatory disorders and psoriasis in a mouse model. The results indicate that HB0017 may be an alternative biological therapy for treating patients with inflammation and autoimmune diseases.